To the Board of Managers of the 

Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of Maryland : 

The report of the Delegates from this Society to the meeting of the General Society 
held in Savannah on the 20th April, 1896, respectfully shou's : 

That on the evening of the 19th April a special service for the Delegates to the 
General Society was held at St. John's Church by the Rector, the Reverend Charles H. 



Strong, of the Georgia Society assisted by the Bisliop of Georgia. The serifloxi vvas preached 
by the Rector and, as a copy for publication was requested by the General Society at 
its meeting ne.x:t day, it will in a short time be sent to each member of the Society. 

The General Society was called to order by the General President, Hon. John Lee 
Carroll of Maryland, in one of the rooms of the Do Soto Hotel at half-past ten o'clock 
in the morning of the 20th April, and after an eloquent address of welcome by Colonel 
John Screven, President of the Georgia Society, to which the General President responded, 
prayer was oifered by the Right Reverend Henry B. Whipple, Bishop of Minnesota, of 
the Minnesota Society. 

The roll was then called and the following States answered : California, Colorado, 
Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Mar3'^land, Massachu- 
setts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia. 

The report of the General Society showing a total membership of 5123 (being a 
gain during the year of 874) and the organization of Societies in Montana, Michigan 
and Rhode Island was then read. 

The Committee appointed at the last meeting to urge upon Congress the propriety 
of erecting a statue to John Paul Jones, and the publication of the Revolutionary 
Archives, reported that satisfactory progress had been made. 

The announcement was then made, that all the State Societies having given their 
consent, the Constitution of the General Society had been amended so as to provide for 
the election of a second General Vice-President, a General Registrar and a General 
Historian. 

Francis Ellingwood Abbot, a Delegate from Massachusetts, then offered on behalf 
of his Societv the following resolution : 

"Whereas, The existence of two separate societies, with identical oVjjects and nearly identical names, 
where one strong society alone ought to exist — to wit, Sons of the Revolution and Sons of the American 
Revolution — is an anomaly whieii perplexes the public mind, excites distrust of both societies, provokes 
injurious comment, alienates the sympathy of very many descendants of Revolutionary ancestors whose 
aid is needed, and .seriously interferes with the patriotic work to wliich both these societies are sincerely 
and equally devoted ; and 

" Whereas, Consolidation of these two societies in a single Society, on the basis of a Constitution 
and Plan of Union whicii had been previously agreed upon at separate meetings of the Greneral 
Society of the Sons of the Revolution and the National Society of Sons of the American Revolution 



- ;^ 

in the City of New York, February 16, 1893, failed on account of disagreement as to the submission 
of the original credentials and applications of all the members of all their respective State Societies to 
a fresh examination and revision, in accordance with the provisions of the new Constitution agreed upon, 
as a necessary preliminary to enrolling members of the new consolidated society; and 

"Whereas, The necessity of tliis preliminary examination and revision, if the proposed new society 
is to be exclusively composed ami Unowii to be exclusively composed, of actual descendants of Revolu- 
tionary ancestors, ought to be self-evident ; therefore, 

"Resolved, That we, the General Society of Sons of the Revolution, convened in Savannah on the 
Twentieth of April, 1896, hereby proffer, sincerely and fraternally, a standing invitation to the National 
Society of Sons of the American Revolution. to unite with us in a single General Society, according to 
the terms of union wliicli were liarinoniously agreed upon at the separate meetings of tiie two existing 
Societies in New York, February 16, 1893: as amended by striking therefrom the tiiird paragraph of 
Art. Ill which provides for admission of collaterals; provided that, prior to such actual union, the 
membership rolls of all the State Societies of both tiie existing Societies, together with all the original 
credentials and applications on which membership has been granted, shall be submitted for fresh 
examination and revision to a competent and disinterested committee, so constituted by mutual agreement 
of the General Officers as to command the entire confidence of the uniting societies; and provided, 
further, that this committee shall be empowered and instructed to erase the name of any member, on 
the roll of any State Society, by whose credentials and applications it would appear that he is not 
entitled to membership under such requirements of Article Third of the Constitution agreed upon at 
New York, February Ifi, 1893, as relates to direct lineal descendants to the end that membership in the 
Consolidated Society shall be indubitable proof of descent from one or more revolutionary ancestors. 

" Resolved, That the Secretary of the General Society of Sons of the Revolution be instructed to 
transmit a copy of these resolutions to the Secretary of the National Society of Sons of the American 
Revolution, with an expression of our hope that they will be received in the same frank and friendly 
spirit in which they were sent." 

It will be observed that the provision with respect to the admission of a collateral 
contained in the Constitution submitted to the two Societies on February 16, 1893, has 
been stricken out, and in this connection the Delegates desire to call to your attention 
that the provision with respect to the admission of collaterals never was in the Consti- 
tution of the General Society nor of the Maryland Society and that even in the Consti- 
tution of those few State Societies where it appeared, collaterals as a class were not 
admitted, but only one collateral representative (being of the nearest line) could b(? 
admitted at a time upon proof that there was no direct descendant living and that the 
propositus was an officer soldier, sailor or marine who died or was killed in service, or 
was an officer who received formal approbation of his services by the Continental 
Congress, or was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and in no other case. 

After quite a lengthy discussion a vote was called for, and upon the roll being called 
every Society voted yea. 

A resolution requesting Congress to forbid the use of the Flag or Coat of Arms of 
the United States for any purpose of advertisement or private gain which had been pre- 



pared by Captain Philip Reade, U. S. A., of the Massachusetts Society, was then read 
and upon motion unanimously adopted. 

Upon motion it was resolved that Washington's Farewell Address should be printed 
and disti'ibuted to each member of the General Society. 

The Committee on Nominations then brought in their report as follows : General 
President, John Lee Carroll, of the Maryland Society; First General Vice-President, 
Garrett Dorsey Wall Vroom, of the Xew Jersey Society; Second General Vice-President, 
John Screven, of the Georgia Society; General Secretary, James Mortimer Montgomery, 
of the New York Society ; Assistant General Secretary, William Hall Harris, of the 
Maryland Society; General Treasurer, Richard McCall Cadwalader, of the Pennsylvania 
Society; Assistant General Treasurer, Henry Cadle, of the Missouri Society; General 
Chaplain, the Right Reverend Henry Benjamin Whipple, D. D., Bishop of Minnesota, 
of the Minnesota Society ; General Registrar, Francis Ellingwood Abbot, of the Massa- 
chusetts Society; General Historian, Gaillard Hunt, of the District of Columbia Society; 
and upon motion the Secretary cast the ballot for the Society. 

Invitations were extended by the Societies in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio to the 
General Society, to hold its next meeting in one of those States and upon motion they 
were referred to the General Officers with power to act. 

After a vote of thanks to the Georgia Society for its hearty and generous reception 
the General Society adjourned. 

During the afternoon the Delegates were shown many places of interest in and 
about Savannah, and in the evening were entertained at a handsome dinner given by 
the Georgia Society in the De Soto Hotel. 

WM. BOWLY WILSON, 

Chairman of Delegates. 



The Board of Managers of this Society is informed that the General Secretary has 
not yet received an official notification of the action taken by the National Society of 
Sons of the American Revolution at its meeting held in Richmond on April 30th, 1896, 
upon the proffisr of a plan of union which is set forth in the report of the Delegates. 



ROBERT RIDDELL BROWN, 

Secretary Sons of Revolution in Maryland. 



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